wallace



- 3 Sheets-Sheet 1', W. W. WALLACE. BRICK RE-PRBSSING MACHINE;

Patented Feb, 252x4 1896,.

(No Model.)

No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. W. WALLACE.

BRICK REI-PRESSING MACHINE.

No. 555,349. Y Patented Peb, 25, 1896.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

W. W. WALLACE. BRICK RE-PRBSSING MACHINE.

Patented Feb, 25, 1896u l@ I y Inventum ANUREW BRAHAM. FHOTBUTM. WASHINGTON. D C

Unirse STATES ATENT Fricn.

WILLIAM `W. YALLAOE, OF YILLOUGHBY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO J. W.

PENFIELD & SON,

OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,349, dated February 25, 1896.

Application filed October 17,1895.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WALLACE, of lVilloughby, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Re-Pressing Machines; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in brick-re-pressing machines; and it consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a right-hand side eleva-tion of the machine and has portions broken away to reduce the size of the drawing, Fig, 3 is a right-hand side elevation in vertical section and has portions broken away to reduce the size of the drawing to more clearly show he construction. Fig. 4C is a top plan in section on line 44, Fig. l. Fig. 5, on sheet containing Fig. 2, is an elevation, mostly in vertical section, on line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6, on sheet containing Fig. l, is an elevation in vertical section showing, among other things, one of the molds of the machine, the vertically-movable bottom of said mold, the plunger for compressing the brick within the mold from above, and the paneling device.

My improved machine comprises any suitable number of molds or dies A, wherein the bricks are re-pressed. The machine illustrated has two molds A arranged in the same horizontal plane and a suitable distance apart,

and said molds are suitably supported between two upright standards B B. (See Figs. l, 3 and i.) Each mold has a vertically-.movable bottom a for compressing the brick introduced into the mold from below and for elevating the brick, after the re-pressing operation, flush with the upper surface of the offbearing portion of a belt or apron C that leads over any suitable number of pulleys or rollers C' and is actuated in any approved manner.

The machine forward of the molds is provided with a horizontally-arranged table D,

Serial No. 566,025. (No model.)

whose upper surface is arranged flush with the upper edges of the molds and flush with the upper surface of the off-bearin g portion of the aforesaid belt or apron.

A suitably-actuated longitudinally-reciprocating frame E is arranged upon table D. Frame E at its forward end is provided with a depending slide or guide e that engages and is adapted to move endwise of a slot or slideway d formed within and longitudinally of table D. (See Figs. 3 and i.) Frame E is suitably constructed to form followers E adapted to push the brick that are deposited upon table D from a rearwardly-declining plate F, supported a suitable distance above the forward portion of said table, rearwardly onto the vertically-movable bottoms of the molds. Frame E is reciprocated forwardly preparatory to the reception of the bricks to be repressed in under plate F, whereupon the bricks are placed upon said plate and those that require re-pressing are pushed forwardly in front of members E of frame E, whereupon said frame is reciprocated in the opposite direction the distance required to convey the bricks to be re-pressed to the movable bottoms of the molds.

The mechanism for actuating frame E is preferably as follows: Said frame at its rear end and central portion is operatively connected by means of a link E2 with the outer or lower end of an arm or lever E3, that depends from and is operatively mounted upon a horizontally-arranged oscillating shaft E4, suitably supported from standards B. Shaft E4 at one end (see Figs. l and 2) is provided with another depending arm or lever, e5, that, at its lower end, is also operatively connected by means of a link E5 (see Fig. 2 with the upper end of a tilting lever E, that is fulcrumed at its lower end, as at- ET, to any stationary object-such, for instance, as the supportingframe of the machine-and at a suitable distance from its fulcrum is provided with a roller E8, that engages a cam groove or Way g of a cam-wheel G operatively mounted upon a suitably-driven shaft G, arranged horizontally and transversely of the machine. It will, therefore, be observed that reciproca-tin g frame E is operated by cam-actuated lever IOO mechanism, and any lost motion in said mechanism is taken up by means of a weighted arm E9, operatively connected with shaft E4.

The mechanism for moving the movable mold-bottoms upwardly during their up-and down movement within the molds is preferably as follows: Each of said bottoms (see Figs. l and 3) is provided with a depending stem a'. Stems a rest upon the heads of setscrews 0,2, that are screwed into and form a part of the outer ends of a heavy arm a2 of an oscillating shaft a4, that is arranged horizontally of and suitably supported from the supporting-frame of the machine at any suitable point between the molds and shaft G', and shaft a4 is also provided with a depending rock-arm a5, that, at its lower end, bears a roller a6, engaging the peripheral surface of a cam G2, operatively mounted upon shaft G'. The arrangement of parts is such that the movable mold-bottoms are elevated through the instrumentality of cam G2 and the engaging-lever mechanism, and said bottoms' are lowered by their gravity in conjunction with the gravity of arm as.

H designates the plungers forcompressing the brick from above. The machine is provided with as many plungers H as it has molds, and the machine illustrated has, therefore', two plungers H, that are arranged a suitable dista-nce apart above and adapted to enter the different molds, respectively, of the machine. Each plunger H (see Fig. 3) is provided with two pressure-surfaces 7L' and h2, and pressuresurface h' is arranged outside of and surrounds pressure-surface ,7l/2. l Pressure-surface h' is formed upon the under side of a quadrangular metallic block H',that exten ds round metallic block H2, upon whose under side pressure-surface h2 is formed. Block H' is shown removably secured by screws I to an external flange k' formed upon the lower end of the restricted or reduced portion of an upright cylindrical case or receptacle K.

Block H2 is capable of moving downwardly below the outer pressure-surface 7L', as will hereinafter appear. Block H2, at its central portion, is provided with an upright stem H3 that engages the restricted portion 7c of case K internally and is provided centrally with a vertical screw-threaded hole 7b2, that is engaged by the lower correspondingly-threaded end of an upright stud L, that extends upwardly through a hole m provided centrally in the upper end of a cap M that fits over case K and has a limited movement up and down upon said case K. A pin N, that extends through a lateral hole M' in cap M and en` gages an upright groove or recess K' in case K, prevents circumferential displacement of case K within cap M. A strong stiff spiral spring O is seated upon the bottom Y2 of case K, and the upper coil of said spring is engaged by any suit-able number of set-screws O', that engage correspondingly screw threaded holes m provided in the upper end of cap M, and by means of which the tension of the springs can be regulated. Stud L extends a suitable distance above cap M, and the upper protruding end of said stud is screw-threaded externally and engaged by a correspondingly-threaded nut L, and a spiral spring L2 is confined upon the stud between the inner surface of the upper end of cap M and the upper end of the stem H3 of block H2. Caps M of the different plungers are integral or rigid with a cross-bar or cross-beam M2 that, adjacent to each standard B, is provided wit-h a slide M2, suitably engaging and adapted to reciprocate up and down the respective standard that forms a slideway for the slide. Two links M4 (see Fig. l) operativelyconnect opposite ends, respectively, of cross-bar or transversely-arranged member M2 with different arms P' of an oscillating shaft P that is suitably supported from and transversely of the stationary framework of the machine and is arranged horizontally a suitable distance below the molds of the machine. Shaft P, at its central portion, is provided with a pair of depending rock-arms P2 to and between the free ends whereof one end of a link P3 is suitably pivoted, which link P2, at its opposite end, is operatively connected with a crank G2 formed upon shaft G'.

Q designates the driving-shaft that is suitably supported and arranged horizontally at any suitable point between shafts P and G', and is suitably intergeared, as at Q', with said shaft G', and at any suitable pointsuch, for instance, as at one side of the machine is provided with a driving-pulley Q2, to which power is applied in any approved manner. The reciprocation of plungers H is, therefore', effected by shaft and lever mechanism operatively connected with shaft G', and the mechanism employed for preventing lost motion in the upward movement of the plungers is preferably as follows: Each slide M3 of member M is operatively connected by means of a downwardly-extending link m2 (see Figs. l and 2) with the forward end of a vertically-tilting lever mi, that is pivoted at m5 to the supporting-frame, and at its rear end is opera-tively connected with two depending rods m, (see also Fig. 5,) arranged a suitable distance apart and extending through two horiZontally-arran ged plates lmT located a suitable distance apart. The lower plate, m7, rests upon nuts m3, mounted upon the lower screw-threaded ends of rods m6. A spiral spring m2 is conned between the two members m, and an upright bolt m10, whose head engages the upper surface of the upper plate, m0, extends downwardly through both plates m, and, a suitable distance below the lower plate, is suitably secured to the stationary framework of the machine. Vhenever, therefore, the downward movement of the plungers takes place, tilting lever mL is actuated in the direction required to elevate the lower plate, mi, and thereby compress the engaging-spring, the recoil whereof not only facilitates the upward movement of said IOO IIO

' G4, operatively mounted upon said shaft G and operatively connected by means of a sprocket-chain with a sprocket-wheel C2 operatively connected with one of the rollers or pulleys engaged by the oif-bearing belt.

My invention not only involves a machine that is exceedingly simple and durable in construction, but the two pressure-surfaces h and h2 with which cach plunger H is provided and their manner of operation is of vast importance, because by said construction, as will presently appear, the molds of the machine need not be provided with relief-holes, and the bricks operated upon by the machine are re-pressed uniformly and to a uniform size. This uniformity in the compression of the brick and in the size of the repressed bricks is obtained by the peculiar construction of plunger hereinbefore described. The outer pressure-surface, h', of the plunger will during the descent of the plunger first engage the brick to be re-pressed and will compress the latter, and member 7U" of the plunger at one or more points is provided with a stop 7a2 (see Fig. l) for limiting the descent of the outer pressure-surface of the plunger. Stops 702 do not, however, interfere with the further descent of the inner pressuresurface of the plunger, and consequently, during the further descent or downward movement of the plunger-bearing member M2 and the caps M rigid with said member, the inner pressure-surface, h2, will be yieldingly advanced against the action of spring O and impress a panel R (see Fig. 6) Within the brick R being re-pressed. Hence it willreadily be observed that if the brick being re-pressed has more material in it than required the panel formed in the brick will simply not be as deep as would be the case if the brick were composed of less material, and also if the bricks to be re-pressed simultaneously in the different molds of the machine do not have the same size or have not the same density the operation of the machine or the work performed by the machine will not be aected, but the upper surfaces of all the bricks simultaneously re-pressed would be perfectly horizontal, and any difference between said bricks would simply consist in the depth of their panels.

Springs O and L2 cause the pressure-surfaces of the plungers to yieldingly perform their function. ln the normal position of parts the inner pressure-surface, h2, of the plunger is iiush with the outer pressure-surface, 7L', of the plunger, as shown in Fig. 3, and spring L2 acts in the direction to retain the inner pressuresurface in said position.

The operating portions of the machine are, of course, so arranged and timed that the movable bottoms of the molds shall be elevated flush with the upper surface of table D preparatory to the delivery of the bricks to be re-pressed from said table by frame E, whereupon said bottoms are permitted to descend, and thereby lower the bricks into the molds, whereupon plungers H enter the molds from above and compress the contents of the molds, as hereinbefore described, and the shape of the cam instrumental in the actuation of the mold-bottoms is preferably such as to elevate said bottoms more or less during the compression of the bricks by plungers H, so that the bricks during the re-pressing operation are operated upon both from above an d below, and after the re-pressing operation the receding` or upstroke of plungers H is quickly effected and the movable mold-bottoms are again moved upwardly to elevate the re-pressed bricks flush with the upper surface of the off-bearing portion of belt or apron C, whereupon frame E is again actuated to convey other bricks requiring 11e-pressing to the mold-bottoms and said incoming bricks push the re-pressed bricks upon the mold-bottoms from the latter onto the oif-bearing apron or belt.

The stationary framework or supportingframe of the machine is preferably constructed to form a practically-closed case below the molds and adjacent portions of table D and belt or apron C, and said case is provided with any suitable number of doors S, that afford access to the interior of the case.

l. In abrick-re-pressing machine,a plunger for compressing the brick from above and comprising two pressure-blocks H and H2, arranged the latter within the former, with the inner pressure-block movable below the outer pressure-block, means for limiting the descent of the outer block, upright case or receptacle rigid with the outer block, a suitably actuated vertically reciprocating cap embracing said case or receptacle, an upright stud or member rigid with the inner pressureblock and operatively connected with said cap, and a spiral spring confined upon said stud or connecting member between the inner pressure-block and upper end of the cap, substantially as shown, for the purpose specined.

2. In a brick-re-pressing machine,a plunger for compressing the brick from above and comprising two pressure-blocks H and H2 arranged the one I-Pwithin the other, and the inner pressure-block being movable below the outer pressure-block, suitable means for limit-ing the descent of the outer pressureblock, an upright receptacle or case K rigid with the outer pressure-block, a suitablyactuated vertically-reciprocating cap M embracing said case or receptacle, spring O confined within the case or receptacle between the lower end of the latter and the upper end of the cap, a stud or member L rigid with the inner pressure-block and operatively connected with the cap, and the spiral spring L2 IIO conned upon said stud or connecting member between the inner pressure-block and up per end of the cap, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

3. In a b1'ick-re-pressing machine, the coinbination with two molds arranged a suitable distance apart and a plunger foreach of said molds for compressing the brick introduced within the respective mold from above, each plunger comprising two pressure-blocks H and H2, the one H2 whereof is arranged within the other H', the pressure-surfaces of the two blocks being normally iush or approximately flush with each other, and the inner pressureblock bein g movable below the outer pressureblock, a stop for limiting the downward movement of the out-er pressure-block, an upright case or receptacle K rigid with said outer block, a cap M embracing said case or recep-k tacle, an upright stud or member L2 rigid with the inner pressure-block and operatively connected with theV cap, a spring confined upon said stud or connecting member between the inner pressure-block and upper end of the cap, and the caps of both plungers being rigid with each other and forming a part of a suitably-actuated vertically-reciprocating cross-bar or beam, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

In testimony' whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 2d day of August, 1895.

VILLIAM W. VALLACE.

Witnesses:

C. H. DORER, ELLA E. TILDEN. 

